The four-term U.S. Senator, who recently threatened the largest newspaper in his home state for publishing his many wrongdoings, has compared opponents of President Obama’s health care reform to supporters of slavery.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, famous for his embroilment in a series of corruption scandals, actually said that lawmakers who don’t support the atrociously expensive health care bill circulating around congress are akin to those who clung to the institution of slavery more than a century ago.

The controversial Nevada Democrat made the offensive and downright outlandish accusations on the Senate floor this week where he also compared health care opponents to those who fought against women’s suffrage and the civil rights movement. "Instead of joining us on the right side of history, all the Republicans can come up with is, ‘slow down, stop everything, let’s start over.’ If you think you’ve heard these same excuses before, you’re right," Reid said. "When this country belatedly recognized the wrongs of slavery, there were those who dug in their heels and said ‘slow down, it’s too early, things aren’t bad enough.’"

Reid’s ghastly public tirade continued: "When women spoke up for the right to speak up, they wanted to vote, some insisted they simply, slow down, there will be a better day to do that, today isn’t quite right. When this body was on the verge of guaranteeing equal civil rights to everyone regardless of the color of their skin, some senators resorted to the same filibuster threats that we hear today."

The headline-grabbing rant is simply the latest in a growing list of Reid scandals, which include exorbitant spending of tax dollars over the years. He’s best known, however, for his many shady dealings and strong ties to convicted criminals and Las Vegas mobsters. Reid used his influence to help a mob-connected developer secure a lucrative land deal in exchange for cash and campaign contributions and he took tens of thousands of dollars from the Indian tribe clients of a jailed lobbyist (Jack Abramoff).

A few months ago, Reid actually threatened Nevada’s largest newspaper (the Las Vegas Review-Journal) with economic punishment for publishing a series of articles and editorials documenting his corruption as he seeks a fifth term. The newspaper’s publisher fired back by calling the senator a bully who has forgotten that he was elected to office to protect Nevadans, not sound like he’s shaking them down.

One of the editorials claims that reelecting Reid in 2010 will keep the federal welfare flowing into recession-ravaged Nevada and help the 2011 Legislature continue to expand state government despite the private sector’s inability to sustain it. Another points out that being the face and voice of an increasingly statist, job-killing liberal agenda has exacted a political toll for Reid